ICGC-Rome

*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_

Monday 1st June 2026

*WISDOM CRIES OUT*

*Scripture Reading:* Proverbs 8

> _Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding lift her voice? *Proverbs 8:1*_

Wisdom has different dimensions. It expresses itself in many ways.

- *Spiritually, wisdom is the fear of the Lord.* The fear of the Lord shows itself in the reverence we have for God. It is wisdom that yields to God’s supremacy. When we have the fear of the Lord, we defer to both the natural and spiritual laws that God has set in His world. Those who honour God’s principles learn to use those principles beneficially. It is akin to the fear an electrician has of electricity. The electrician acknowledges the awesome power of electricity but does not keep away from it. Those who fear the Lord have a hatred for evil and love what God wants.

- *Mentally, wisdom is understanding how life works.* Most of us associate wisdom with mental acumen. However, biblical wisdom is not the same as attaining high academic heights. It has a deep understanding of how life works with all its ethical, moral, and religious implications. We gain this dimension of wisdom through the observation and appreciation of how systems and structures work.

- *Morally, wisdom is righteous conduct.* This aspect of wisdom is the ability to tell between right and wrong. That is how we can live uprightly. Wisdom is a moral force that enables us to make proper judgments. For example, we would generally consider a person who gambles away all their money or uses all they have on wasteful purchases as unwise. On the other hand, we would consider a person who invests their resources in educating their children and building an inheritance for them to be wise. Those who live their lives wisely make moral choices that yield benefits to them.

- *Practically, wisdom is solving problems.* This is the technical aspect of wisdom. Wisdom is practical when it helps us find answers to the questions we face. In the Hebrew society of the Old Testament, this is how most people viewed wisdom. Wisdom is the practical application of knowledge. You see it in the way people solve their problems.

- *Governmentally, wisdom is ruling with fairness.* This is seen in how we administer, manage and lead in our areas of influence – our lives, homes, and businesses.

*Prayer:* _Heavenly Father, you are the All-Wise God. Bless me with your wisdom so I will see life as you see it. In Jesus’ name, *Amen.*_

*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_

Sunday 31st May 2026

*AN EXCELLENT NAME*

*Scripture Reading:* Psalm 8

> _O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! *Psalm 8:9*_

Psalm 8 ends in the same way as it began. David returns to the excellence of God’s name. After talking about the wonderful role that the Lord has given us, he brings it all home to the name of the Lord. It is beautiful to note the movement and orderly placement of thought in God’s word.

At the beginning of the Psalm, God’s name is excellent because of His magnificent creation – in the heavens and on earth. At the end, the Psalmist is in awe of how God has elevated frail human beings to unimaginable heights of glory, honour, and responsibility, sharing God’s image.

This is a refreshing perspective. God does not want us to only wonder at the moon, stars and all the heavenly bodies. He also wants us to wonder what He has made us to be. The worth and beauty of our lives shine brightly with His glory. Consider how he uses men to accomplish extraordinary things. Reflecting on these inspires praise unto His excellent name for His excellent works.

We conclude with these three thoughts about the name of the Lord:

- *God’s name must be precious to us.* We must love the name of the Lord. We must honour His name and not take it in vain or use it irreverently. Our references to the name of the Lord must be edifying and praiseworthy.

- *God’s name must be glorified in our lives.* Since we are called by the name of the Lord, our conduct reflects how people see God. Seeing that we bear this awesome responsibility of representing God, we must be even more deliberate about our choices and actions. We must live for the Lord, so that His name will be glorified.

- *God’s name must be known in our world.* We must endeavour to make the people we meet know about our Lord. We must commit to proclaim His name and lead people to the saving knowledge of Christ.

*Prayer:* _Heavenly Father, your name is precious to me. Thank you for making me a part of your creation. In Jesus’ name, *Amen*_

*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_

Saturday 30th May 2026

*THE DOMINION MANDATE*

*Scripture Reading:* Psalm 8

> _You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, *Psalm 8:6*_

According to Genesis 1:26-27, God created us to have dominion. That divine intention that the Lord uttered at the creation of the first human being is shared by all human beings.

God gave us a dominion mandate when He created us. The Lord made us to be masters of the world He created. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve began living the life of dominion that the Lord had created them for. They were crowned with so much glory and honour that no animal dared to attack them. However, the disobedience and sin of our first parents robbed them and us of our crowns of glory.

As God’s representative on earth, man was given dominion over all kinds of animals, birds, fish, and reptiles.

The book of Hebrews reminds us (Hebrews 2:5–9) that although God created us to have dominion, we are not yet enjoying the fullness of this blessing. The creatures of the earth are not fully submitted to us. Dogs bark at us, mosquitoes bite us, and viruses plague us. The explanation is that when sin entered the world through Adam, man lost his sovereignty over the lower creation.

People today live more like slaves than rulers; so why aren’t we living like kings? Because our first parents sinned and lost their crowns, forfeiting that glorious dominion.

God the Son came to earth to redeem and restore us to our dominion. Today the Holy Spirit of God is the one who empowers us to “reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17). When you crown Jesus Christ as Lord of all, you are a sovereign and not a slave, a victor and not a victim.

When God places the righteous on the New Earth and the New Heavens at the end of this age, we will experience the full manifestation of our dominion mandate.

*Prayer:* _Heavenly Father, you made me have dominion and not to be a slave to sin. Teach me how to walk in dominion. In Jesus’ name, *Amen.*_

*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_

Sunday 24th May 2026

*THE LORD OUR PEACE*

*Scripture Reading:* Judges 6

> _Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites._ *Judges 6:23-24*

The Lord is our peace - Jehovah (YHWH) Shalom. That is the name Gideon gave to the altar he built when the angel of the Lord came to give him orders to fight the Midianites. Interesting, isn’t it? The angel of the Lord spoke to Gideon about war, yet Gideon called the commemorative altar, The Lord is peace.

Why did Gideon call the altar peace when the Lord spoke to him about war? Gideon did not erect the altar because of war. He built the altar because the Lord said to him, ‘peace be with you.” Gideon was afraid he was going to die for seeing the angel of the Lord. He had grown up in a culture where seeing God was not a good thing.

What does Jehovah Shalom mean?

*· God’s peace removes our fears.* When God extends His peace to us, He takes away all of our fears. God is not at war with us. He does not want us to relate to Him in terror.

*· God’s peace offers us life.* The Lord spoke peace to Gideon and promised him, ‘you shall not die.” The life God gives us is more than just staying alive. It includes wholeness and wellness in our spirits, minds and bodies.

*· God’s peace makes us win.* Gideon led an army of 300 people to defeat a Midianite army of 135,000 soldiers. He won with little against so much. The Lord is able to subdue every situation that rises against our peace.

As we serve and worship the Lord, His peace becomes our portion.

*Prayer:* _Heavenly Father, you are my peace. Thank you for the blessings of life, health and prosperity. In Jesus’ name, Amen._